Nusakambangan set to house rioting prisoners

Nusakambangan prison island, located in the Indian Ocean in Central Java, is set to welcome 155 terrorism detainees transferred from the Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java, following Tuesday’s prison riot.

All 155 prisoners were immediately transferred to the maximum-security facility after allegedly triggering a riot, taking guns from on-duty police officers, killing five officers in the process and holding another one hostage. One rioting prisoner died during the standoff. Counterterrorism squad Densus 88 managed to defuse the standoff and free the hostage on Thursday morning.

Hendra Eka, head of Batu prison on Nusakambangan prison island, ensured that the island had adequate capacity to house them.

“Let alone 150, we could even accept another 1,000 terrorism detainees,” he told The Jakarta Post.

The 155 prisoners arrived on Nusakambangan prison island at around 5.30 p.m.

At the time of writing, up to 400 joint security personnel had been deployed to secure the area.

Nusakambangan prison island, which comprises seven prisons, currently houses 1,500 high-risk prisoners, including 70 terrorism convicts and 50 death row inmates.

The island has the capacity to house up to 3,000 prisoners. (swd)